Hi All,

I thought I'd start preparing my car (Punto MK2 1.2 8v) for winter now with living in the North East of England.

I've purchased a battery charger from Halfords, as with the past two winters, my car didn't move for months because of the deep snow and thick ice on the roads.

I thought it'd be a good idea to keep the car battery in the house, and put it on a trickle charge ready for when I can use the car again. Doubt has been cast over my cunning plan to beat a flat battery, as I have read in the Haynes' that removing the battery can cause all sorts of problems with the on board computer regarding the 'engine management system'.

So my question is, is there anyone who has experiance of removing their Punto's battery and re-charging it in this way? Did it mess up anything, and did the 'engine management system' re-sort itself out?

Getting a battery charger seemed such a good idea at the time. My hubby says I always jump in without reading the instructions!

Regards

Faye and her beloved Punto 'Lily-Rose'

Can't see any problem with your plan. The battery is supplying power all the time so eventually it will flatten. Check out if your audio system has a security code like a pin number to be re-entered after battery disconnection. As far as the ECU re-learn goes I have never had any trouble with it , can't say I ever noticed any difference tbh.

Thankyou Brendan W, I'm going to stick with plan A.

I don't think I'll have problems with the stereo, it's a Blaupunkt radio/cassette player. I'll have to dig out the manual to see if I have to enter a code. Second thoughts, do I have a code!?

Regards

Faye

i believe the stock radio/cassette HAS a code, mine did

As for the Worries its a Really rare case of the car gets confused with the keys

the cold is what stops the battery working, not been flat

So keeping it warm and fully charged will definatly Help with Making it a first time starter when you do wanna move the car

just make sure you are prepared to spend 5 mins on getting the battery in and out

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Next part of you winter plan is the Cooling system
How long was its last change?

If no history - i'd be getting it changed with a Good Strong Mix of Anti-freeze to Water (makes coolant) So that your car wont freeze up internally

Ziggy